Merced County DA returns fake-baby case to police for further investigation

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- Police are being told they need to gather more evidence in the case against the woman arrested last month for trespassing at a Merced hospital while carrying a fake baby.

Tonya Whitney Boehs is facing misdemeanor charges. Action News was there when she was taken into custody on August 22. Hospital officials issued a warning about her and her husband, and police were worried about the possibility of a child abduction.

Whitney says she makes and sells the life-like dolls herself. She claims she was marketing them as therapy or training tools to Mercy Hospital.

On Wednesday, the Merced County district attorney returned the case to police for further investigation before Boehs can be charged.